Exploring Directions for ESG Executive Coaching Based on the ESG Implementation Experiences of Third-Tier Supplier CEOs

This study aims to explore how CEOs of third-tier suppliers perceive and experience ESG management, and to derive practical directions for the ESG coaching they need. Three third-tier supplier CEOs from various domestic industries were selected as participants, and data collected through semi-structured interviews were analyzed using inductive content analysis. The analysis revealed that participants’ experiences converged into four themes: ‘Survival,’ ‘Lack of Implementation Capability,’ ‘Psychological Burnout,’ and ‘Accompanying.’ Participants perceived ESG not as an autonomous strategic choice but as a survival issue tied to the termination of transactional relationships, and faced psychological burnout from safety-related anxiety, generational and technological gaps, and severe emotional labor amid a lack of personnel and systems. What they genuinely needed was not one-off training but continuous support that acknowledges their emotional exhaustion and facilitates on-site implementation. Based on these findings, this study confirms the need to expand ESG support beyond one-way education into coaching interventions, and proposes a four-stage ESG coaching model: cognitive restructuring, problem-solving-oriented implementation coaching, emotional recovery coaching, and continuous accompanying. This study holds significance in deriving concrete directions for ESG coaching grounded directly in the implementation experiences of lower-tier supply chain CEOs.